Traveling-receptacle.



No. 841,902. l

PATENTBD JAN. 22, 19o?. M.4 A. sHUMA-RD. TRAVELING RBCEPTAGLB. APPLICATION FILED AUG.23, 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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:mmmfmis PETERS cu., WASHINGTON. n. c,

v PATENTED JAN. 22, 19o7.

' M. A.`SHUMARD. TRAVELING RECEPTAGLE. APPLIoATIoN FILED wenas. 1905.

. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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m5 NoRRls F: rifas c PATENTBD JAN. 22, 1907.

M. A. SHUMARD. TRAVBLING R-EGEPTAGLE. APPLICATION FILED UG.23, 1905.

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UNITED STAEE, OFFICE.

MALNoR A. sHUMARD, or AS, LOUISIA'NAVMVQ TRAVELIGQ-PTACLE.

Application 'iedpruigua' 2s,l 1905. serai No. 275,494.

To @ZZ whom, t may concern.-A Be it known that I, MALNOR A. SHUMARD, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of I from a single piece of leather or other similar i flexible material, and has for its obj ect to produce a receptacle of this kind whereby articles of clothing and the like may be conveniently carried with an entire absence of bundling, rolling, and creasing, a receptacle which is economical of manufacture, which, dispensing with breakable parts," is immune to the ordinary hard-service perils of travel, and which because of its construction and manner of folding will contain more articles in less space than the various valises, &c., now in use. Provision is also made for carrying in the same receptacle brushes, combs, orv

other toilet articles in such manner that they shall beseparated from each other. Special pockets are provided also for the reception of papers and the like.

A further and special object is to make the traveling-bag eXpansible within wide limits, so that it may be made to receive a large or small quantity of articles, as desired. A novel and adjustable handle for the bag is provided and means for maintaining the complete closure of the bag within the limits of its expansibility.

Further objects and aims will appear in the course of the following description of the invention, which is to be taken in connection With the acompanying drawings, and the invention will be specifically defined in the annexed claims.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective of a form of embodiment of my invention strapped and ready for transportation. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the outside of the blank from which the receptacle shown'in Fig. 1l

of my invention, the securing-straps and" handles being omitted. Fig. 8 is an end view of a form of my invention made in accordance with the blanks shown in Figs. 4, 5,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Fig.'3 is a i Patented Jan. 22, 1907.

and 7. Fig. Q is an insidep'lan view of a I modified form of blank. Fig. 10 is an outside plan view of the blank shown in Fig. 9, and Fig. 11 is a view of a receptacle made from blanks shown in Figs. 9 and 10 partially folded and showing a modified form of handle. y i

It should be premised that my invention comprises, essentially, a unitary sheet of some flexible material provided with certain creases and folds,whereby said sheet may be folded v up into the complete receptacle, and having means for maintaining the closure of the com.- plete organization and novel means for carrying it. It will be necessary, first, therefore, to describe the blanks from which receptacles vmade in accordance withmy invention are developed and in which some of the essentials of the invention are found. It will be understood, of course, that the relative sizes of the various parts of these blanks are totally immaterial and that wherever a fold is referred to the two parts of the fold may be distinct pieces of material united along the line of thefold, or they may be integral.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings, wherein similar parts are indicated by like reference characters in the various figures, 1 indicates the preferably substantially rectangular main sheet of which my device primarily consists, of leather, leatherette, paper, cloth, or other suitable flexible material. Sheet 1 is provided medially with an incipient fold or crease 2, so that the two parts of the sheet may be doubled u on each other to form the outside of the av. As shown in Figs. 4, 5, 7, 8,9, 10, and 11:21 may provide a pair of such medial creases in parallel arrangement, (indicated in said figures, for the sake of distinction, by the numerals 3.) Since said creases are intended to be at the bottom of the complete device, it is evident that' where only one crease is provided the IOO bottom will be more or less angular, Fig. 1.

dial fold 2 will be called the ends of the sheet, while the parts or edges perpendicular thereto will be designated as its sides Preferably substantially equidistant from and parallel with the medial creases 2 or 3 3.

as the case may be, are two creases 4, which IIC define the inner ends vof fiaps 5,adapted to fold in toward the medial crease or creases.

Said fiaps 5 might be separate pieces 2 3 3. sewed to the rest of the sheet along the lines integral, as shown. They are shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 7 as equal in width to the main sheet 1, upon which they fold, and they may, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, be wider than the main sheet, in which case the excess width on each side is' adapted to be folded in upon the main part of the flap 5. Upon these flaps 5 I preferably provide pockets 7 for the reception of papers and documents, comprising an attached or integral fold of material bent upon the iiap 5 and secured so as to form a pocket opening inwardly of the sheet. In Fig. 3 I have shown the pocketiiap as a separate piece attached. to the end flap 5, while in the other figures it is integral with the end liap.

Integral with the main sheet 1 or sewed to it and adapted to fold inward along creases 8 I provide side fiaps 9,. intended to be folded down upon the articles of clothing laid flat along sheet 1 and end flaps 5 before the lat ter are folded in.

I may provide a single flap 9 on each side of sheet l, extending the entire length thereof and having creases 10, alined with the medial crease 2 and end-fiap crease 4 of the sheet to allow of folding in accordance with the folding of main sheet and end flaps, Fig. 6, or a pair of side flaps may be provided on each side corresponding to the two divisions of the main sheet and cut away on their adj acent edges to prevent buckling when folded, as in Figs. 2 and 3, or,v as in Figs.. 4, 5, and 7, a pair of side fi'aps may be provided on each side of the main sheet and another side fiap 9v intermediate the pair and vadapted to fold upon theV bottom or middle section of the mai-n sheet, the adjacent edges of the side fla s being cut away, as in Figs. 2 and 3.

n Fig. 9 I have illustrated aform having a plurality of side flaps greater than two, three being shown, and the adjacent edgesl of the side fiaps are not cut away, as in Figs.k 2, 3, 4 5, and 7, but there is simply a cleft 9at between them. Here the intermediate side flap 9 is relatively wider than in` Figs. 4, 5, and. 7, corresponding with a wide bottom or middle section of the main sheet, so that the bottom ofy the receptacle will be widely curved. The clefts or slits 9a do not extend inwardly quite to the creases 8, but stop short ofl them, so that when 'the side flaps are turned over on the main sheet an unbroken folded edge is exposed, which when the receptacle is closed prevents the entrance of dust at the slits or clefts, while the latter permit the iiaps 9 to bend easily without buckling when the bag is closed.

In the flaps 9 may be cut or applied strips 1l of suitable size and arrangement, under which toilet or other small articles may be slipped.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, 14 indicates fold-guards attached to and connecting the of the creases 4; but I prefer to make theni main sheet, end flaps, and side iiaps. These vareppreferably a square piece of material having as its center the point of junction of the parts just enumerated and with one side extending from end flap to side flap to form a triangular portion 15, which when the parts are folded, as hereinafter described, serves to prevent the entrance of dust, &c., and to perfect the closure of the receptacle at the points of folding. An additional function is to prevent the wearing out of material at the folding-points, where it is applied.

In the construction of Fig', 4 the foldguards 14 are not employed; but a piece 15 extends from end flap to side flap, as and for the purpose of part l5 in Figs. 2 and 3. Parts 15 and 15 may be either integral or attached. In Figs. 5 and 6 again the same purpose is served by extending the side flaps 9 fiush with the end flaps 5.

The blank for the receptacle having been made, as set forth, it is completed into the article shown in Figs. l and 8, as follows: Assuming that the blank is laid flat-as shown in Fig. 3, for instance-articles of clothing may belaid along the main sheet 1 andv end flaps 5. Side flaps 9 are then folded inward over the garments, being held in place, as by straps 16 and buckles connecting opposite fiaps. Then the end fiaps 5 are folded inward and the main sheet folded together along the creases 2 or 3 3. To main tai-n this final folded condition, securingstraps 18, having buckles on one end, are provided, passing around the bag through strips 19, attached to or cut in the outside of the main sheet, the main sheet, as before stated, forming the outside of the receptacle.

It will be evident that the quantity of clothing or articles to be carried in this bag may vary greatly and that as the quantity is increased the upper ends of outside or main sheet 1 will be forced farther apart. With this in mind, the necessity for providing handles of an adjustable character will be understood. I have shown, Fig. 1, a form of handle especially Well adapted to this end.` It consists of a U-shaped hand-grip 20, having strap ends 21, adapted to be adj ustably secured in buckles 22, fast to the side of the bag. One of these handles being provided on each side of the bag, it.1s evident that when the bag being full., the upper ends of the outside sheet 1 are forced apart the handles may be adjusted in their buckles to enable the grips 20 to be brought conveniently together..

In Figs. 10 and. ll I show a modified form of handle. I-Iere the hand-grips 20 are provided on each side of the receptacle, but their mode of attachment is different. The

IOC

IIO

,upon the outside of the main sheet of the receptacle. The ends of one of the hand-grips are provided with buckles 24, with which the ends of the other hand-grip are adapted to engage. When buckled together, the straps of the hand-grips will loosely encircle the receptacle, doing away with one pair of buckles and with the riveting necessary for the rigidly-attached buckles shown in Fig. l.

If desired, handles such as described may be dispensed with and the securing-straps 18 passed through an ordinary shawl strap handle at the upper side of the bag. Also, if desired, the upper ends of the Abag might be positively locked together. v

What I claim isl. A traveling-receptacle, comprising va sheet of fiexible material adapted to be folded medially, and end flaps and side flaps adapted to fold upon said sheet, and means for carrying. the receptacle comprising` on the outer end of each division of the sheet a handle adjustably secured to said respective divisions of the sheet.

2. A traveling.- receptacle, comprising a sheet of flexible material adapted to be folded medially, and end flaps and sideflaps adapted to fold upon said sheet7 and means for carrying the receptacle comprising on the outer vend of each divisionl of the sheet a U-shaped hand-grip each having strap ends adapted to be adjustably secured in buckles fast to the respective divisions of the sheet. Y 3. A traveling-receptacle comprising a sheet of flexible material adapted to be folded medially, end flaps and side flaps, and fold-guards covering the adjacent parts of sheet and flaps.

4. A traveling-receptacle comprising a sheet of flexible material adapted to be folded medially, end flaps and side aps connected to the sheet, and apiece connecting adjacent parts of the sheet and flaps, and serving as a guard at the points of folding thereof.

5. A traveling-receptacle comprising a sheet of flexible material adapted to be folded medially, end fiaps and side fiaps adapted to be foldedv inwardly upon the sheet, the side flaps being cleft or slit in line with the median folding-crease of said sheet to a point near the folding-creases of said side flaps.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MALNOR A. SHUMARD.

Witnesses:

HOWARD J, BUSH, GEORGE CLENDON. 

